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How are we all going to talk about that Miami game last night?
We have to start and finish with R.J. Davis, who set the Smith Center record with 42 points, scoring 21 in each half and propelling the Tar Heels to leads in both periods over the Hurricanes who were without two injured starters.
Davis was dead-eye from outside during pregame warmups and quickly swished his first long ball, perhaps to get rid of the cobwebs from Virginia where he went 1-for-14. And R.J. scored 15 consecutive points in the second half (four straight 3-pointers followed by three free throws) to put his team ahead by 14 points with just under seven minutes left.
But, while no one else could score for Carolina, Miami was in the middle of a 21-9 run while the red-hot Canes were on their way to making a 14-of-30 3-pointers that created near panic in the Dean Dome.
We also have to talk about Miami forcing five turnovers and six bad shots at the end of a Tar Heel offense trying to milk the clock. Then came five straight missed free throws: one by Davis, two by Armando Bacot, and two by Seth Trimble with three seconds left and the Heels ahead by two points. (Carolina finished a season-low 12 of 21 from the stripe.)
Fortunately, Hubert Davis had reinserted Jae’Lyn Withers, who with Harrison Ingram controlled the offensive rebound off Trimble’s second miss. Withers was fouled and, FINALLY, he hit two free throws to secure the 75-71 heart-throbber, which was UNC’s seventh home ACC win and preserved first place in the standings.
In turn, we should discuss if the Tar Heels were ill-prepared for Miami’s press drawn up by 70-year-old coach Jim Larrañaga or if they knew what they were supposed to do and just did not do it. Or a combination of both.
And we should talk about R.J. outscoring the team 42-33 with no one else reaching double figures. Ingram and Cormac Ryan each shot 3-for-13.
Something similar happened in the tense win over Virginia when Ryan outscored his teammates in the first half that ended 26-16. Carolina almost gave that one away by having a late scoring drought.
Just like in the next game, Davis gave them the cushion they needed to hang on and win. But is that the way Carolina wants to play? Or do the Heels need to get back to more balanced scoring? And do you think they sometimes play “not to lose”?
The good news: If any voters were on the fence after Saturday’s bad-shooting by Davis, you could say he wrapped up ACC Player of the Year honors with his 42-point gem. But R.J. is likely to say he wants the team to win championships more than any individual honors, which is more important to many of us, as well.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
